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Lectionary Notes - 5th Sunday after Pentecost

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Readings for 5th Sunday after Pentecost, 6/15/08:

Genesis 18:1-15, Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19, Romans 5:1-8, Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

Genesis 18:1-15:

• I'm intrigued by how God appears to Sarah and Abraham in the guise of three men here. No "angels" in dazzling white, just three visitors who are God. It reminds me that God can appear in any form, even the most mundane, usual, and unspectacular.
• Notice, too, the completely different idea of hospitality practiced by Abraham and Sarah than we do today. Can you imagine just baking a meal for three strangers that show up on your doorstep?
• Sarah laughed, and laughed, and laughed. No wonder! I think she has the most sensible response to impending pregnancy of any of our Biblical women or men. Compare God's reaction to her response to God's reaction to Zechariah's response in the NT.
• God seems surprised at Sarah's reaction. I'm afraid it is reactions like this that make it too easy to caricature God as a Man! But God's word's too Abraham, given by the man, are key: "Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?" How often do we limit the blessings we experience because we limit God and limit our view of what God can do?

Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19:

• This text was in our lectionary cycle this year first for Maundy Thursday, and then for the  Third Sunday of Easter - hopefully it looks a little familiar to you! What makes it different to read this Psalm during Holy Week, and then during the days of Easter, and then post-Pentecost? Why do you think this Psalm is included so frequently?
• "I love the Lord, because he had heard my voice." I wish I knew Hebrew - I'm curious about the "because" word here. Do we love people "because" of something? Or does our love, even for God, go deeper and beyond a "because."
• "I will pay my vows to the Lord" This phrase is repeated in this Psalm. It seems the Psalmist feels he must pay God back for hearing his voice, his supplications. Does God need to be paid back? Want to be paid back? I don't think God wants to feel "owed" as much as loved.
• "loosed my bonds" - what has you bound up?

Romans 5:1-8:

• "Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God." That's in interesting if --> then statement. Both parts on their own are not necessarily surprising, but that the first causes the second is an interesting play on words. What does it mean to have peace with God? Trusting that it is our faith, not our faulty, failing works, that brings us to God, and more than that, God's grace, then we can rest in peace (not just the RIP kind!) with God.
• Suffering --> produces endurance --> produces character --> produces hope. "and hope does not disappoint us." I like Paul's logic here. It's sort of like those puzzles where you have to make the first word into the last word by changing one letter at a time like this: PAIL - MAIL - MALL - MILL - MILK
• "and hope does not disappoint us." What do you think about that? Has your hope ever disappointed you? If you're like me, you can probably think of times that you would say, 'yes' to this question, so what does Paul mean here? Has your hope in God ever disappointed you?
• "right time" - from Greek kairos: theologically speaking, God's right time for action, not just any regular time.
• "God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us." - straight from Paul to our Holy Communion liturgy. 

Matthew 9:35-10:8 (9-23)

• Like the last couple of weeks, today's lesson includes people just getting up and going at God's bidding (Jesus' today) without much hesitation or complaining. How can you get your life into such a place where you would react in the same way? What do you need to change to be that ready to follow God? I know I am a long way from that place myself!

• "He had compassion for them" - from the Greek esplanchnisthê, one of my favorite Greek words, which literally has to do with the insides turning over - a physical feeling of compassion.

• "gave them authority" - receiving authority is a powerful thing. All of us have authority of some kind. Where did you get it? How did you receive it? Has God given you authority? For what?

• narrowness of Jesus' focus - here he speaks of his ministry as very focused: to the Jews, not others. But despite his words, his own actions betray his compassionate nature - he can't help but reach out to others when he comes to them, and can't help but lift them up as models of discipleship throughout the scriptures.

• "you have received without payment; give without payment" - maybe we don't charge people money for our ministries in a literal way, but sometimes I think we like to require of people other kinds of payment for our Christian benevolence: we want them to agree to our judgmental attitudes, we charge them pride and respect, etc. These are just as costly in some ways as money.

Pastor’s Note: (I use the Greek-English Lexicon from Liddell and Scott, the “little Liddell” and the Metzger et. al Greek New Testament in my translation work.)

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